


Treading Water

by MyCupOfEarlGrey



Series: Jeremy/Tyler [1]
Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Boys In Love, Cute, Explicit Sexual Content, Getting Together, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Recreational Drug Use, Smut, Smutty Smutt, Teen Angst, Unsafe Sex, Weed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2018-12-30 18:34:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12114723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyCupOfEarlGrey/pseuds/MyCupOfEarlGrey
Summary: It's a cool night, bordering on cold, and Jeremy shivers. When they make it to Tyler's car, he unlocks it and opens the passenger door for Jeremy.Maybe Jeremy wants to believe that the gesture is some awkward attempt at chivalry, a display of feelings that he wishes Tyler could return. Maybe Tyler is trying desperately to convince himself that that’s not it at all.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I was kind of desperate to post this and it's really late, and I read through it what feels like 100 times but if there are any mistakes please let me know in the comments! I hope you like it and the 2nd chap should be up in the next couple if days :)

They're all sitting at a table at the grill, talking, laughing. Jeremy likes Elena's friends, but sometimes he feels like he doesn't quite fit in with all of them. So when Tyler announces that he's heading home early, Jeremy's jumps on the opportunity. 

"Would you mind giving me a lift home?"

Tyler looks at him for what feels like a solid minute before shrugging his shoulders. 

"Sure man. No problem." He gets up and pulls on his jacket, walks towards the door without looking to see if Jeremy follows him.

It's a cool night, bordering on cold, and Jeremy shivers. When they make it to Tyler's car, he unlocks it and opens the passenger door for Jeremy. 

Maybe Jeremy wants to believe that the gesture is some awkward attempt at chivalry, a display of feelings that he wishes Tyler could return. Maybe Tyler is trying desperately to convince himself that that’s not it at all.

"Handle sticks sometimes." Tyler explains, shuts the door, and walks around to the drivers side. 

Neither of them say anything for the first half of the ride, but the tension between them is palpable. 

"Do you not like me or something?" Jeremy asks. It probably shouldn't bother him as much as it does, but Jeremy desperately wants Tyler to like him. 

"Why would you think that?" Tyler's eyes flick over to Jeremy's face before returning to the road in front of him. Jeremy thinks he can almost see hurt in the other boy's eyes. 

"For one you haven't said a word to me the whole time we've been in this car." He says it casually, but his heart is pounding. He wonders if Tyler is going to get mad, explode like he does sometimes (more often than not).

"I do like you Jeremy, I-" he cuts off and runs a hand through his hair. And then he pulls over to the side of the street in front of the Gilbert's house and stops the car. 

The yellow light from the street lamp makes Tyler's skin glow as he turns to face Jeremy. 

"I just-" he's leaning across the center console, his hand coming up to cup Jeremy's jaw. He strokes his thumb across Jeremy's cheek. 

Jeremy leans forward, presses a kiss onto Tyler's lips. Short and sweet, but impossible for either of them to ignore. Impossible to forget. Tyler pulls away.

"I'm not a fag." He says, like he’s trying to convince himself as much as he is Jeremy.

Jeremy shrugs. "Okay."

It would be easier, Tyler thinks, if Jeremy argued. If he got mad, told Tyler to fuck off, if he said If you're not a fag then why did you kiss me? It doesn't work with this kind of passive acceptance. Tyler can’t push the other boy away.

Then Tyler is gripping his jaw, hard, like it might bruise, lips moving against his. Tyler's hand, the one that's not on his jaw, rests on his thigh. Jeremy moves one hand into Tyler's hair, the other one toying with the hem of Tyler's shirt. 

They break apart, breathing heavy. 

"You wanna come inside?" Jeremy asks, sitting back in his seat. 

"I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't..." Tyler pulls nervously at a string on his jacket. 

"No one's home." Jeremy says. He opens the door and gets out of the car. "Offer stands."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay," He agrees. He shouldn’t. He remembers the conversation he’d had with his dad. It’s just a phase. You’re too young to know what you want. If you tell anyone else I swear- He shakes his head, the sting of his father's hand across his face just a faded memory.

Tyler walks a few paces behind Jeremy as they head to his house. Like someone is going to see them and somehow know. 

As soon as they're inside the house, Tyler has Jeremy's back pressed against the door, lips on his again, softer this time. Tyler's fingers card through his hair as the older boy kisses him like they'll both die if he doesn't. 

He moves down to kiss at Jeremy's jaw, and sucks a bruise onto his neck when he tips his head back. 

"Fuck, Tyler," Jeremy moans, tipping his head further to give Tyler full access to his neck. "Upstairs."

"Yeah," Tyler gasps. "Upstairs." 

He takes Tyler's hand and drags him up the steps and into his bedroom, practically slamming the door shut. 

Tyler pushes Jeremy down onto the bed, leaning over him so he can continue kissing the younger teen, nipping at his pink lips until he willingly opens his mouth for Tyler to explore. 

Jeremy runs his hands up Tyler's chest, sliding his jacket off his arms. Jeremy's hoodie and both of their t-shirts are quick to come off after that. 

Jeremy relishes the feeling of Tyler's bare skin pressed against his own, his muscles shifting under Jeremy's fingers. It's safe to say that Jeremy is completely lost in the other boy. 

Tyler pulls away abruptly and rolls to the other side of the bed. "Fuck. What am I doing? I'm not a fucking fag I'm not-"

"Hey. Tyler." Jeremy puts a hand on his arm. "If you really don't want to keep doing this, if you want to leave right now, then do that. But you need to know that if you... if you feel the same as I do, there's nothing wrong with that. And we can stop for now, take it slow if you want. And I will never tell anyone about this if you don't want me to."

He looks at Tyler wide eyed, completely sincere. Tyler moves his hand up to stroke Jeremy's cheek. 

"I guess... I don't really know what I'm doing, but I... I want to do this with you." He says truthfully. “Can we just... talk about this later?” 

Jeremy leans in tentatively to kiss him again, carefully, searching for hesitation, for any sign that Tyler is still unsure. He gets none. And maybe he should press the issue, figure out what’s weighing so heavily on the other boy’s mind before they move further. But Tyler’s lips are becoming more insistent against his own and it’s taking nearly all of Jeremy’s mental capacity to tread water so he doesn’t drown in the beautiful boy pressed up against him.

Tyler’s lips move down, pressing kissed to his jaw and mouthing at his neck. It’s dizzying, Jeremy feels like he’s spiraling out of control, grounds himself by digging blunt fingernails into Tyler’s muscled shoulders.

"Fuck," Jeremy moans as Tyler moves to suck at his collarbone. 

"I wanna fuck you," he gasps against Jeremy's skin, nuzzling into his skin. "Please, can I..."

"Yes, fuck yes," Jeremy agrees. Maybe this is too fast, for both of them, but Jeremy can’t be bothered to care once those words slip out of Tyler’s lips. He can't say the thought had never crossed his mind, but he'd never dared to think that Tyler Lockwood would ever actually say those words. 

He tugs off Jeremy's boxers, and honestly looks kind of bewildered. Drinking in the sight of Jeremy’s naked body spread out in front of him. Jeremy is only a year younger than him but he looks so young and vulnerable. Legs bent and open, trusting Tyler with every part of himself.

"I don't really know what I'm doing from here.” He says, nervously picking at the bedsheets. Truthfully Jeremy doesn't really know what he’s doing either. He hasn't done this before, not that he's about to tell Tyler that. 

Too fast. Jeremy’s brain says. You’re going to screw this up. He shuts it down.

"There's, er, there's lube in the middle drawer." Tyler leans over to the bedside table to grab it. 

He pops the cap open, spreading some across his fingers, but he looks unsure about what to do next. 

"I can do that if you don't want to." Jeremy reaches for the lube, but Tyler shakes his head. 

"No, I want to." He pushes one finger in, up to his second knuckle, and pulls it out. Testing the waters. He pushes his finger in all the way and he can feel Jeremy’s muscles flutter around it. He watches Jeremy’s hard cock twitch where it’s settled into the dip of his hipbone as he thrusts his finger inside of him.

After a few minutes he adds another finger, curling them up inside Jeremy's body. The younger boy arches his back and gasps. There’s something about the way that Jeremy’s fingers clutch at the sheets, the short panting breaths escaping from the younger boy's mouth, Tyler can’t imagine anything being more intimate than this.

“Fuck, Tyler, please-” Tyler presses his fingertips against the same spot and Jeremy arches up again. 

“Please what?” He whispers, leaning up to kiss Jeremy's neck. He nuzzles the skin there, fuck Jeremy smells so good. He keeps his fingers firm, fucking in and out, hitting that same spot each time. 

“Please just, oh fuck, Tyler please, fuck me,” His words are a breathless jumbled mess and Tyler's sure that he can feel his body trembling. He withdraws his fingers and Jeremy keens, trying to follow them with his body. 

“Condoms?” Tyler asks, wiping his fingers on the bed sheet and leaning up to mouth at Jeremy’s jaw again..

“Fuck,” Jeremy breathes, “Check in the drawer? I don't think... You don't have any?”

“Fuck, I wasn’t really expecting to get laid tonight Jer. Maybe in my car?” He comes up empty handed and shuts the drawer.

“Fuck it,” Jeremy breathes out. “It’s not like you're gonna knock me up or something.”

“Are you sure?” Tyler asks, pulling back so he can look into Jeremy’s eyes. The younger boy smiles up at him and reaches up to run a hand through Tyler’s hair. 

“Tyler, please, I’m sure, just... please?”He pulls Tyler down to press a searing kiss to his lips. Tyler nods and pops the cap on the clear bottle again. He spreads a generous amount on his bare cock before settling back between Jeremy's thighs. 

“Here, just spread your legs a bit more,” he pushes Jeremy's legs up so his knees are almost touching his shoulders, then lines himself up against Jeremy's entrance. 

"Just, uh, go slow?" Jeremy's voice shakes with sudden unexpected nerves. It’s not that he doesn’t want to have sex with Tyler or that he feels like he’s not ready, not at all. He just feels like this is too good to be true. Like Tyler is going to fuck him and leave and evaporate from his life forever. And the longer this lasts, the longer he can drown himself in this fantasy that Tyler really wants him the same way. 

"Jer, are you sure? We can stop now if you want. I don't want to push you into anything that you don't want." Tyler's voice is softer than Jeremy's ever heard it, genuinely concerned. It calms Jeremy’s nerves, allows him to believe that Tyler really cares about him, at least for the moment.

"Tyler?" Jeremy touches his cheek, eyes sparkling. "Shut up and fuck me."

Tyler grins and presses a quick kiss to his lips. 

The first time Tyler pushes into him it pulls a sharp gasp from his lips. Tyler stops halfway and rubs a comforting hand across Jeremy’s hip. “Okay?”

“Yeah, you can keep going. Just a little more than I was expecting I guess.” 

Tyler takes Jeremy’s hand is his, pressing soft kisses to his knuckles. “Say the word and I’ll stop. If it’s too much, or if I hurt you, you need to tell me, okay?” And he’s actually afraid that Jeremy won’t. That the younger boy is too set on impressing him, giving him what he thinks that Tyler wants, willing to sacrifice his own comfort and safety.

“Okay,”

Tyler pushes in slowly until he’s fully buried inside of Jeremy, not letting go of his hand. He pauses, gives Jeremy a second to steady his breathing. The room is quiet save for the sounds of their panting breaths and Tyler thinks he could stay right here forever. He’s pulled out of his thoughts by a squeeze on his hand.

“Please, Tyler,” Jeremy practically whimpers. Tyler loves the desperate tone of his voice, like there’s nothing and no one else in the whole world that can do for him what Tyler can. “Fuck, move, please-”

Tyler pulls out halfway and pushes back in, working up to a steady rhythm. Not too fast, he’s still too afraid of hurting Jeremy.

Eventually he starts to angle his thrusts, until he hits that spot inside of Jeremy that makes the younger boy moan out loud. He starts to thrust faster after that, lips tracing across Jeremy’s shoulders and chest. He can feel the vibrations that Jeremy’s moans send through his body.

They are both too lost in each other to hear the creak of the stairs, or even the soft knock on Jeremy's bedroom door when Elena gets home. 

"Jeremy? Tyler's car is still out front, are you- oh god! Oh my god I'm sorry- ok." And the door slams shut again. 

Tyler looks down at him, shock written across his face, and maybe a little bit of fear, but he hasn't pulled away, he's still buried deep inside of Jeremy, and maybe that's saying something. 

"Oh my god, Jeremy I-" Tyler starts to panic until Jeremy strokes his cheek softly. He leans up to brush their lips together. 

"Shh. It's ok it's just Elena, she won't tell anyone if I ask her not to." He assures Tyler, fumbling for his phone on the bedside table. 

He sends a short text. 

hey sry about that. Pls don't tell anyone, talk tomorrow. 

He turns the phone so that Tyler can see the message. He nods, and then his lips are back on Jeremy's and he's working himself back into a steady rhythm,their interruption all but forgotten, for the moment at least. 

"Fuck Jer," he breathes into Jeremy's ear as he pounds into him. Jeremy arches his back and tilts his head back as the sensation of Tyler pounding against his prostate becomes overwhelming. In the back of his mind he knows that it’s gonna hurt like a bitch in the morning, but for now the pain has faded into white-hot pleasure, and it’s the most amazing thing Jeremy’s ever felt.

Tyler wraps a hand around Jeremy's cock, stroking in time with his thrusts, causing a steady stream of soft whimpers to fall from Jeremy's lips. It's not long before he's spurting thick streaks of come across his stomach and sinking back into the mattress. He’s breathless, boneless, the room is spinning and he feels like he’s melting down into the sweat soaked sheets and Tyler’s there through it, pressing kisses to his cheeks.

Tyler starts to pull out but Jeremy locks his legs around the other boy's hips, pulling them flush against his ass again. Tyler raises an eyebrow. 

"Please, just... keep going til you're done. I want..." he trails off.

"What do you want baby?" The pet name is not something that Jeremy's used to, much less something that he expects from Tyler, and he wonders if the other boy even thought about it. It makes his stomach flutter. Tyler starts to move his hips again. "Tell me what you want."

"I want you to come inside me." He says it with as much conviction as he can when he’s blissed out with Tyler still pounding into him. It's enough to make Tyler's hips stutter, thrusts becoming slightly erratic. 

There is a steady stream of sound spilling from Jeremy's bitten lips, whimpers and hoarse whispers of ‘please’ as the pleasure/pain from the over sensitivity overwhelms him. His vision starts to grey out as Tyler pounds into him one last time, pumping warm liquid deep into Jeremy's body. 

"Fuck." Tyler says when he can breathe again. He gently withdraws, pulling out of Jeremy, a dribble of his come following. He brushes a lock of sweat soaked hair from Jeremy's face. "How are you so fucking pretty? You're so fucking beautiful, blissed out and filled up with my come."

And it’s probably the post-orgasmic haze that’s making his brain fuzzy enough to let him say these things. He nuzzles into Jeremy's neck, presses kisses to his jawbone. Cheek. The tip of his nose. Jeremy never would have expected Tyler to be this way after sex. Soft and sweet and utterly unwilling to shift away from Jeremy’s warm body anytime soon for any reason. He brushes their lips together. 

Jeremy finally pushes him off when the feeling of his come cooling on his stomach between them starts to become noticeably uncomfortable. 

"Hey, hand me my t-shirt?" Tyler reaches to the floor to retrieve the discarded garment and hand it to the younger boy.

Jeremy wipes the drying come, or most of it at least, off of his abs and reaches underneath himself to wipe at the come dripping from his ass. 

"Let me." Tyler says softly, taking the shirt from Jeremy's hands. But instead of using it to wipe him off, he sets it aside. 

He presses a kiss onto Jeremy's hip bone, and slides his index finger into Jeremy. 

"Hey," Jeremy whimpers indignantly. “If you don't mind, I’m a little sore.”

"Sorry." Tyler shrugs, withdrawing the finger coated in his come. Without really thinking about it he reaches up and presses the finger into Jeremy's mouth. 

Jeremy doesn't think either, before sucking Tyler's finger into his mouth and licking off the come. It seems filthy, but it feels so, so hot, and it's salty but the taste isn't bad. He pointedly kisses Tyler afterwards, letting the other boy taste his own come on Jeremy’s lips.

"Fuck you." Jeremy says, and he’s at least half joking.

"Just did." Tyler grins at him, pulling him in for another soft kiss.

"I should go." Tyler says, making no move to get up from his place on Jeremy's bed. He knows it’s true, but he can’t think of anything less appealing than leaving Jeremy’s bed right now.

"Yeah." Jeremy says, wrapping his arm around Tyler's shoulder, drawing him close. Desperately hoping that the other boy won't leave him alone.

"Could I stay?" He asks, and his voice is small, hesitant. Maybe some small part of him still believes that Jeremy could ever say no to him.

"Please." Jeremy replies, pressing another soft kiss to his lips. 

Jeremy nuzzles his face into Tyler's shoulder and they fall asleep like that, naked bodies pressed against each other. Hot breath against each other's skin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished this chapter! I think there's gonna be one or two more chapters of this, and maybe a few separate one-shots but who knows. There are a few patches in this where the writing is a little rough so be warned. Also no one betas these so if you notice any mistakes or inconsistencies please let me know!
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to Jake and Lucy, who commented and actually motivated me to finish this! Thank you and much love, hope you enjoy :)

Jeremy wakes up warm. Morning sun is streaming in through the gap between the curtains and Tyler's hot skin is pressed up against him. It's the most beautiful thing he's ever felt. He presses a quick kiss to the sleeping boy's shoulder before stretching out to grab his phone from underneath the pillow where he had stashed it the night before and texting Elena. 

U up?

His phone buzzes with her reply before he even locks it. 

Yeah I made coffee. Come talk?

He turns off his phone and drags himself out of bed. He throws on a pair of sweatpants and a t shirt and heads downstairs. 

"Morning." He says as he walks into the kitchen. He quickly dismisses the thought of sitting down and opts to lean casually against the kitchen counter instead. 

"Hey Jer." Elena hands him a cup of coffee. "Soo... Tyler Lockwood?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He doesn’t really know what to say.

"I didn't know you were- I mean Vicki, and Anna..." she trails off.

"I'm not gay. I'm... bisexual I guess? Or something? I don't really know." He takes a sip of his coffee and winces when it burns his tongue.

“Jeremy, are you sure that you should be doing this? I mean you're so young. Are you sure you should be-”

“Elena. I can have sex with whoever I want to. And nothing you say is going to change how I feel about Tyler.” He doesn’t really know how Tyler feels about him, or if the older boy is going to want the same things that he does, or even close, but he’s willing to risk it. He feels like Elena of all people should understand that relationships can be complicated.

She sighs and reaches over to tousle his hair. "But he makes you happy?"

"Yeah. Or, I think that he will." Jeremy smiles, a bright genuine smile. Elena smiles back and gives him a big hug. 

"I'm glad." She says. "If he ever hurts you I swear-"

"Elena. It's ok.” He takes another sip of his coffee. “I'm gonna go upstairs and see if he's awake."

"Ooh, he slept over," she teases. 

"Shut up," He says, but he can't contain his smile. "But Elena? You really can't tell anyone. Tyler doesn't want anyone to know, at least not yet."

"And are you okay with that?" She asks, looking concerned. 

"Yeah. We'll tell people when we're ready. Until then, I'm happy just to be with him."

"Ok." She concedes. "I love you Jer."

"Love you too." He tops off his coffee and turns to walk back upstairs. 

When he opens the door to his room he sees that Tyler is awake. He’s staring up at the ceiling with an unhappy look on his face.

"Tyler?" He shuts the door softly and sits next to the older boy on the bed. He sets the coffee on the bedside table. “You okay?”

"Jeremy, I don't know if I can do this." He says quietly. He won’t look at Jeremy's face. 

"Hey,” he says softly, laying a hand on Tyler's shoulder. “Do you wanna talk about it now?”

Tyler nods and takes a deep breath. “It’s just, being with you feels right. It feels like the right thing, and having sex with you was freakin amazing. But also there’s a part of me that says this is wrong, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Tyler, I really like you too, and I think that we should give this, whatever there is between us, a chance.”

“I’ve never been with a guy before, Jeremy. I never even kissed a guy before you. I don’t know what this is, really, but I like it.” He reaches over and takes Jeremy’s hand in his.

"I like it too.” Jeremy smiles and tightens his fingers around Tyler’s. “And Tyler, it's okay to be into boys and girls. I am."

"But I'm not!" Tyler says, almost angrily, and Jeremy flinches. He braces himself for Tyler insisting again that he isn't into boy's, and he’s surprised when he doesn't. "I'm not into girls. I thought that if I tried hard enough I could fight it. I thought that I could make myself love someone I didn't. But screw that. Jer, I want to be with you.”

Jeremy feels like his heart is swelling in his chest and he thinks this must be something close to love. He shifts closer to Tyler so that their sides are pressed together. Tyler bites his lip and takes a shaky breath before continuing. 

“I’ve actually known for a long time. When I first realized that I was gay I tried to come out to my dad, and he completely shut me down. He told me that it was a phase, he said that I could never tell anyone, because I’m the mayor and think of what it could do to my career!” He mocks, but Jeremy can see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Tyler..." Jeremy trails off. He doesn't quite know what to say. Would this be an inappropriate time to kiss him?

"Please say that you feel the same. Please tell me this wasn't a one time thing for you." His voice cracks and he sounds desperate. A few tears roll down his cheeks even though he’s trying to blink them away.

"No! Of course it wasn't.” Jeremy wraps his arm around Tyler and kissed his cheek. “If you want, I’d like to be your boyfriend. Like you to be my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I’d like that too.”Tyler smiles and kisses Jeremy’s lips briefly. “But... I don't think I could handle a public relationship. At least not right now.”

"We don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. Obviously Elena knows, but we can keep this secret as long as you need." Jeremy says, toying with Tyler's fingers as he speaks. 

"I should tell Matt at least. I feel like I've been keeping this from him for years. Fuck I don't even know how..." Tyler sighs. 

"If you want I could come with you when you tell him. If you think it would help."

"I don't need you to hold my hand Gilbert." The words come out sounding harsher than Tyler intends them to. 

"I know. But do you want me to?" Jeremy slips his hand into Tyler's and gives it a squeeze. 

Tyler leans into Jeremy's touch. "Yeah. I do."

Jeremy presses his lips softly to Tyler's. Chaste and sweet.

"Could we tell him today? We could go to mine?"

"Yeah of course. Whatever you want to do."

Tyler texts Matt and he agrees to meet them at the Lockwood mansion after he gets off work. 

Elena is watching TV in the living room when they leave to go to Tyler’s house.

 

“Hey Tyler,” She says, smiling. He smiles back and waves awkwardly. “Are you gonna be home for dinner Jer?”

“I dunno. I’ll let you know.”

Elena nods and turns back to the TV.

When they get to Tyler’s, they sit on the couch watching reruns of some teen drama while they wait for Matt.

Matt walks into Tyler's house without knocking. Tyler and Jeremy break apart at the sound of the door opening. 

"What's wrong Ty?" Matt asks as he walks into the living room. "Jeremy?"

"Hey man. Could you maybe sit?" Tyler gestures to the chair across from them, shifting awkwardly in his seat. 

"Ty what's going on? You're freaking me out." Matt looks worried, but he sits down across from them. 

"Matt, we've been friends for a long time. And I... I guess I feel like I've been keeping this from you. Not on purpose, really, but I wanted to tell you first. So um... I'm gay. So yeah." He trails off awkwardly. He waits for Matt to reply. Jeremy squeezes his thigh. 

Matt doesn't miss the gesture. 

"So you two are..?"

"Yeah." Tyler nods. 

"Okay." Matt nods. "Thanks for telling me Ty. It means alot to me for you to trust me with this."

Matt stands up and motions for Tyler to do the same. Then he wraps his arms tightly around his friend. 

"I love you Ty, and you'll always be my best friend. Even if you're kind of a dick sometimes. And I think that this is cause for celebration." He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a plastic tube. He pops it open. 

"Hell yeah," Tyler claps him on the shoulder, taking the pre-roll from his fingers. 

"You sounded so worried on the phone I thought you might need it to calm down." He laughs. "You obviously don't."

Tyler sits back down on the couch and throws an arm around Jeremy. Matt sits on the coffee table in front of them. 

Tyler lights the joint, takes a deep puff, and hands it off to Jeremy. They hang out for about an hour, finishing the joint and breaking into Tylers stash before Matt announces that he’s headin home.

"Are you good to be driving?" Tyler asks. 

"I'll walk home and come back for my truck in the morning."

Tyler stands up to hug him. 

"Matt... thanks. For being okay with this. Like not making a big deal about it. I love you. Not in a gay way though."

"It's not a big deal man. I love you too." He kisses Tyler's forehead and turns to leave. "Not in a gay way though!" He calls over his shoulder. 

"You're a dick!" Tyler yells as he sits back next to Jeremy. 

"Good thing you like dick then!" He laughs and shuts the door behind him before Tyler can reply. 

"Asshole." He mutters. 

"He's not." Jeremy says, settling back in against Tyler's side. 

"I know." Tyler wraps his arm around Jeremy's shoulders. "Shotgun?" 

He takes a hit and turns to the boy on his lap. Jeremy parts his lips and inhales the smoke spiraling out of Tyler's lungs. His eyelids are heavy and fluttering as he takes it in. 

Jeremy tilts his head back and exhales the recycled smoke with a laugh. Tyler runs his nose up the younger boy's exposed neck inhaling deeply. Jeremy shifts his body so he's straddling Tyler's hips. Tyler kisses him again, deeper, letting his tongue run across Jeremy's lips. Jeremy grinds his hips down and Tyler can feel his half hard cock through his jeans. 

“Fuck, Ty, I’m so high right now.” Jeremy moans, rutting against Tyler’s thigh. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” Tyler tries to push Jeremy away, but the younger boy whimpers and wraps his legs around Tyler’s waist. “You seem pretty out of it Jer.”

“No, we can fuck, please Ty?” He looks at Tyler wits wide-open eyes and parted lips. He breathes heavily, warm breath hitting Tyler’s bare chest. 

Tyler knows that he’s not as high as Jeremy is, and he thinks that maybe he shouldn’t, but he lets Jeremy push their lips back together and resume their kiss. 

Neither of them knows how long it takes them to make it to Tyler’s bed. They don’t really stop kissing. Tyler is hyper aware of his body, and everywhere that his skin touches Jeremy’s feels like sparks. Jeremy pushes Tyler toward the bed and they both collapse onto it in a tangle of limbs. 

Jeremy fumbles to reconnect their lips, reaches down, fingers struggling to undo Tyler’s jeans. He can’t make his fingers cooperate, and the button stays stubbornly fastened.

After a few moments Tyler pulls his hand away. Jeremy makes a noise of protest as Tyler shifts him onto his back.

He unbuttons Jeremy’s jeans and pulls 

He mouths at Jeremy’s cock through his briefs, causing the younger boy 

“Fuck, Ty,” He moans, fingers threading through Tylers hair.

Tyler sits up. “Let me know if you want me to stop.”

Jeremy shakes his head. “Please don’t.”

Tyler grins and slides his fingers under the waistband of Jeremy’s underwear. He slides them down Jeremy’s legs until the other boy can kick them off. Jeremy gasps sharply when he feels Tyler’s tongue licking up the underside of his cock. He licks at the head a few times, experimentally, before he takes it in his mouth. It takes some getting used to, but at some point Tyler falls into a rhythm that has Jeremy whimpering and tightening his fingers in the older boy’s hair.

He comes seconds after Jeremy comes in his mouth with one had at the base of Jeremy’s cock and the other down his jeans. Jeremy leans back, eyes closed and lips parted, struggling to regain his breath.

Tyler spits the come into his bathroom sink and brushes his teeth. By the time he gets back, Jeremy is fast asleep, starfished across the bed. Tyler shoves him over and lays down beside him, pulling him close, and slides easily into sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've started classes again and my depression has been really bad, and I've lost a lot of confidence in my writing ability, so I apologize if updates are slow. I'm already behind in my classes but I stayed up writing this instead because I'm a piece of shit, so I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> For Lucy. In fact, consider this entire story dedicated to you <3

Tyler is already awake when Jeremy wakes up. He's sitting with his back against the headboard with his nose buried in a book. 

“Hey,” Jeremy smiles sleepily up at him and stretches his arms. “G’morning.”

“More like good afternoon. It's one o'clock Jer.” There's a hint of a laugh in his voice. “Also Elena called to make sure you weren’t dead in a ditch somewhere. I hope you don’t mind that I answered.”

“Nah, thanks for letting her know.” Jeremy groans and rolls over. “I need to brush my teeth.”

“There’s an extra toothbrush in the drawer in my bathroom.” He leans over and kisses Jeremy’s forehead. 

Jeremy brushes his teeth and pees, and then returns to the bed.

“I’m sorry I was so fucked up last night.” He apologizes, laying back down and nuzzling his face into Tyler’s neck. 

Tyler kisses the top of his head. “Hey, it happens. We smoked kind of a lot. But also, I just want to make sure that you were... okay with everything that happened last night?”

“Of course I was. More than okay actually,” He kisses Tyler on the cheek, letting the corner of his mouth brush against Tyler’s. “In fact, I’m sorry that I didn’t reciprocate.”

“It’s fine, you don't need to-” Tyler starts, but Jeremy is already sliding down the bed so that his face is level with Tyler’s crotch. He places his hands on Tyler’s thighs and starts mouthing over the older boy's clothed cock. Tyler leans his head back and lets his fingers slide into Jeremy’s hair. Jeremy moves his hands up, and pulls down Tyler’s briefs to expose his cock. 

“Mmm, Jer,” Tyler breathes as Jeremy lays kitten licks up the length of his cock. His fingers tighten in the younger boy's hair. 

Jeremy lets one hand wander across Tyler’s skin while the other one works the base of Tyler’s cock. He mouths at the tip, before sinking down over the warm flesh, letting the tip press against the back of his throat. Jeremy’s fingers press into Tyler’s thigh, exploring, moving up to press flat against his stomach as the younger boy swirls his tongue around the head of Tyler’s cock. He mouths at the silky skin until he feels Tyler’s muscles tensing up.

“Jeremy, I-” Tyler utters, a half-finished attempt at a warning. Jeremy hums around Tyler’s cock as he comes, swallowing around it as it softens. He pulls off with a small pop and licks his lips.

“How was that?” He asks, settling back and smiling innocently up at Tyler.

“Fuck Jeremy,” he exhales, pulling Jeremy up to lay beside him. He presses his lips softly against Jeremy’s, and watches as the younger boy's eyes close. 

Tyler presses his palm against Jeremy. He’s half-hard, but he says ‘later,’ because right now they have all the time in the world. Tyler moves his hand to cup Jeremy’s face, and Jeremy turns his head briefly to kiss his fingers.

“Have you done that before?” Tyler asks quietly, barely a whisper.

Jeremy turns slightly red and shrugs. “Yeah, uh, when I was dating Vicki she had this friend, Nick and sometimes we... I dunno. She got off on it I guess.”

“Were you okay with that? Like it was all consensual right?” Tyler looks concerned, pulls Jeremy a little bit closer, like he can protect him from things that had already passed.

“Yeah. I dunno. I was high all the time then anyways. High on weed, high on pills. Coke a few times too. A lot of it is kind of a blur.” He smiles, the kind of half-smile that stems from nostalgia and loss and bittersweet memories. He shakes his head and the expression is gone as fast as it came. “What about you? Did you and Vicki ever...”

“Yeah, a few times. It wasn’t ever... I think she knew that something was off. But we were usually pretty fucked up too. I guess it wasn’t that hard to ignore.”

“I loved her.” Jeremy leans into Tyler’s side, letting the other boy wrap an arm around his shoulders.

“I know.” Tyler says, and, after a minute of silence, “I should never have gone after her.”

“Why did you?” Jeremy asks. The question has been nagging at the back of his mind ever since Tyler told him he was fully gay the previous morning.

“I don’t know. She liked me. I knew it would piss off my dad. She always had good drugs. Take your pick I guess.”

“She always had good drugs.” Jeremy murmurs in agreement, nuzzling his face into Tyler’s chest. They sit like that for a few minutes, lost in thought and memories that seem far   
more distant than they should, drawing comfort from each others warmth.

“You want breakfast? I could make pancakes?” Tyler offers, breaking the silence. “That's about the extent of my culinary abilities.”

“Pancakes sound fantastic.” Jeremy grins, wrapping his arms around Tyler's shoulders and kissing his cheek. They dress, Jeremy in a borrowed pair of Tyler’s sweats, and head downstairs. 

When Tyler reaches up to pull the pancake mix from the cupboard, his shirt rides up over his hip. Jeremy reaches out to touch the exposed skin and Tyler shivers. He sets the box down and turns to face the younger boy. Their lips touch and the box of pancake mix sits all but forgotten on the counter. 

Tyler runs his tongue across Jeremy's lips. They part easily, and the next thing Jeremy knows he's being lifted into the countertop by strong hands cupping his ass. Tyler presses soft kissed on Jeremy’s jaw, and then he’s kissing his neck and Jeremy is tipping his head back with a quiet moan. They're both too engaged in each other, neither of them hear the front door opening, or the sound of footsteps leading to the kitchen. 

“Tyler, we're home- oh my god!” Carol Lockwood is standing in the doorway with shock written across her face, her husband standing expressionless behind her. Tyler jerks apart from Jeremy so fast it’s like he’s been physically pulled away. Jeremy flushes and slides off the counter so that he's standing next to Tyler. 

“Mom! Shit- I mean shoot- this isn't what it looks like!” Tyler looks at his parents. 

“Tyler.” His dad says, voice cold, as devoid of emotion as his face is. “We've talked about this. I explicitly told you not to do this to me.”

“Dad, you can't tell me who to date.”

“I am your father, and I am the mayor, and I can't have this kind of scandal because my ignorant son feels the need to go through some sort of teenage rebellion. Mr. Gilbert, if you don't mind. It’s time for you to leave.”

“He's not going anywhere.” Tyler all but growls, gripping Jeremy's hand tightly in his. Jeremy squeezes back. 

“Tyler, you need to let him go. And you are going to stop seeing him until this stupid phase of yours is over. I don't understand why you feel the need to-”

“Because I love him!” Tyler exclaims, cutting off his father’s words and causing all eyes turn to him in shock. Jeremy can see the mayor’s lips press into a disapproving line, and then his hand is moving across Tyler's face with a resounding crack. 

Tyler recoils, leaning against Jeremy for support. 

Jeremy looks at Tyler's dad in shock. He always knew that the man could be harsh, but he’d never thought that he would actually hit his son.

“Come on Ty. We're leaving.” He pulls Tyler by the hand, heading toward the stairs. 

“Tyler. You're not going anywhere.” Mr. Lockwood makes a grab for Tyler's arm but Jeremy steps in front of him. 

“Gonna hit me too? I’m not scared of you. I wonder what kind of a scandal would it be if people found out that you were hitting your kid?” Jeremy stares straight into the mayor’s eyes.

“Jeremy it's fine it's not-”

“Shut up Tyler.” Jeremy says, not taking his eyes off of the mayor. 

“Tyler if you walk out that door you will not be welcome back here.” The mayor finally says, looking away from Jeremy.

“Yeah Dad? Well screw you.” He grips Jeremy’s hand harder and pulls him to the front door. He grabs his car keys and drags Jeremy outside. Neither of them are wearing jackets or shoes, but Tyler is too mad to care, and Jeremy follows him to his car without hesitation.

The drive back to the Gilbert house is silent. Jeremy rests a hand on Tyler’s thigh as he drives. They both ignore the tears that are rolling down his face. Even when they arrive they sit in the car in front of the house for a while. 

“You said you love me.” Jeremy finally breaks the silence.

“Yeah. I... didn’t really mean to say that. I knew it would piss my dad off and it just... slipped out.” He looks wrecked. He looks like he’s going to cry again.

“So you didn’t mean it.” It’s fine if he didn’t, Jeremy tells himself. He takes Tyler’s hand.

“I do love you. I don’t think I can say I’m in love with you. Not yet... but Jer, I know it’s fast, but I’m falling for you hard.” He won’t look Jeremy in the face. He knits their fingers together.

“Tyler, I’m falling for you too. This whole thing has been fast, and sort of unconventional. So now I’d like to officially ask you, Tyler Lockwood, will you go on a date with me?”  
Tyler gives Jeremy a watery half smile, but his eyes light up. “Yeah, of course.”

“Good. So, I was thinking, if you were up for it...” He trails off, blushing slightly. Tyler gives his hand a reassuring squeeze and he continues. “If you wanted to take a road trip? Maybe next weekend. We could take a couple days, drive up to DC, go to the museums? Only if you want to.”

“Yeah, Jer, that sounds great,” Tyler smiles and kisses Jeremy’s forehead.

When they go inside Jenna and Elena are sitting in the living room watching some drama and eating ice cream.

“Hey Aunt Jenna? Would it be okay if Tyler stayed here for a little while?” She twists around to look at him.

“Of course Jer. Your friends are always welcome. Do you need me to go grab the air mattress?”

“Um, no, that’s okay. I can get it.” Jeremy can feel his face getting red, but Jenna’s already turned back to the tv. Elena shoots him a knowing look, eyebrows raised. He shrugs and leads Tyler towards the stairs.

They blow up the air mattress even though they both know Tyler won’t be using it, and they spend the day laying on Jeremy’s bed, quiet conversations interspersed with kisses. They fall asleep way too early, wrapped up in each others arms.


End file.
